Sweet n’ Salty Bacon Bits

There comes a point where you sort of settle into yourself. Those little quirks that you may have grown into or out of as a kid, well, they’re still there. Except now they’re just you.

I will never like chocolate, believe me, I’ve tried. But any kind of pulled pork mysteriously vanishes in my presence.

There is one thing that’s never changed: cooking is easy, it’s following recipes that’s hard. Wether its skimping on sugar or adding salt, no matter the pedigree of the chef or authenticity of a generations old piece of paper, I will change it just a little.

Which is how I arrived at bacon bits.

I’ve been teaching cooking classes for kids and we made Bon Appetit’s recipe for Bacon Butter Radishes. The recipe calls for rendered bacon fat and melted butter combined with smoked paprika. We made one version without the bacon fat and compared. They were delicious but not that different. They needed more bacon.

I already had the chopped and fried bacon so I added a little salt and 1/2 TBL sugar and toasted the bits to caramelize everything. I tasted. Still missing something. What goes well with bacon? Maple syrup!

The sweet, salty, smoky flavor was incredible. Now, what else can I put them on?